The Rabbitohs will have no shortage of motivation on Good Friday with club legend Nathan Merritt to ring the Legacy Bell as he continues his inspirational battle with stage four cancer in his oesophagus and liver.
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The 42-year-old will welcome South Sydney onto the field for their game against the Bulldogs in the annual clash, with the try-scoring machine recently revealing that he only has 12 months to live.
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He has been undergoing chemotherapy for stage four cancer of the liver and oesophagus.
The club is calling on their fans to get to Accor Stadium to support the legendary winger who scored 146 tries for the Rabbitohs.
“That’ll be a wonderful moment for him and the game and all Souths supporters, so it’s another reason why we want to see them all there,” South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett said.
“He was a great player for this club and has a tough time in front of him, but the club and the fans will be supportive of him as they have been always.
“Let’s make it a nice day for him.”
Merritt this week opened up on the battle ahead of him.
“I will be lucky to get past 12 months.
“It feels like your soul has been taken away. There are nights where I have my little breakdowns and think about my kids.
“I don’t know how many more football games I will be going to after this one.”
The Rabbitohs are coming off the bye and were victorious in round three, although Bennett wasn’t happy with the performance.
The veteran coach was very negative in the post-match press conference following the win over the Wests Tigers and says discipline is the one area they must fix.
“I’m still not happy with the performance, that hasn’t changed,” he said.
“It’s long gone now and we’ve got a tremendous game tomorrow. There’ll be a huge crowd and lots of Rabbitohs supporters there wanting to see us play.”
The Bunnies get winger Campbell Graham back from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the Tigers win, with Bennett praising his resilience after battling a string of long-term setbacks.
“His whole physique has changed with the amount of rehab he’s had to do with his back, calf muscles and shoulders,” he said.
“He is resilient and it’s a credit to him the way that he wants to still play and put himself through it all.
“We love having him play with us. We’re all in a better place when we know he’s playing compared to when he’s not playing. He brings a lot.”
Brandon Smith hasn’t been given the green light to play on Friday, but the hooker will play against the Raiders next week as he continues to recover from a calf complaint that has delayed the start of his season.
“He’s really close (to a return) and he was really close to playing this week,” Bennett said.
“But we’ve decided to give him another week. He’ll definitely go to Perth.”
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